A World Full Of Mockingjays
by FlyingwiththeHawks
Summary: I realize that I fit in well here, that I may stand a chance. That there is hope... It's a mockingjay's nest." Rue's POV of The Hunger Games. PLEASE REVIEW! P.s. might take long to update
1. Preface

**Well… Here it is… Rue's Life. Hope you enjoy it!**

PREFACE

The overwhelming scent of peaches fill my nose, and I resist the urge to pick it off the tree and take a huge bite of it. It just smells so good I can't stand it.

And then, as high up as I can be, I catch a glimpse, just a tiny glimpse, of the white flag that meant quitting time. I sing out to Sunshine- a mockingjay I named because of the way her feathers shined in the sunlight- my four note motive. She immediately catches on and passes the melody down and slowly I watch the hard workers climb down their ladders and down the tree. I start to climb down too and I hear my sister Kyleah calling my name.

"Rue! Rue, look! Mr. Matthews gave us a basket of cherries! Now we'll have food for everyone!" Mr. Matthews is a nice old man who earns quite a bit of money from his shop. Usually no one can really afford anything in District Eleven.

"That's wonderful." I smile at Kyleah. She is only nine years old. I take her hand and pull her on the way home.

And then we stop short in the town square because there are five Peacekeepers blocking our path to our home. They carry a man, an old man. They force him onto his knees.

Oh no.

"Turn around, Kyleah." I tell her. She does as I say because all my younger siblings listen to me.

The tallest biggest Peacekeeper loads his gun and shoots into the old man's temple. There's a crowd watching. I will have thrown up if there is anything in my stomach right now. And then I see it, I see a big muscular boy with his parents crying out for the old man and pleading to the Peacekeepers. They take out the mother after, and then they leave.

What they have done, I have no idea.

I can feel tears, tears of hatred towards the Peacekeepers, towards the Capitol, towards the annual Hunger Games. This year I turned twelve years old. The reaping is held tomorrow, held in the town square. My name is entered nine times, six for myself and my younger siblings, two for my parents, and the one mandatory time. The extra times are for tesserae. For free grain and oil. It's my first reaping.

"Come on, Kyleah" I try to suck my tears back in. I hold out my hand to her and I guide our way back to the house.

I leave her back at house. House may even be too grand of a word for our home. It's just a shabby little cottage that can only prevent rain from entering and we still have leaks that need to be repaired.

I need to go somewhere outside to prepare myself for the reaping.

I am so engrossed in my own thoughts and I don't even notice when I bump into a boy from my school. He's in my year, although I am sure he doesn't know that I exist. His name is William Sterlingston. I look at his chestnut coloured hair and his clear blue eyes and I blush for some reason.

"Sorry" I say. It barely comes out as a whisper.

He nods at me and touches my arm. And then he leaves.

I go to my favourite tree at the corner of the neighbourhood and I climb to the lowest branch.

"Sunshine! Lily! Caramel! "I sing out to my special mockingjay friends.

This time, four mockingjays appear in front of me. They all sing back to me, and the new one has a beautiful voice, the most lyrical one I've heard yet.

"Well, you're a new one aren't you?" I say, cocking my head to the side. "How about… I name you… Chantelle." Because she sings so beautifully.

I can tell that my mockingjays are all female. They each have that mark on their wings. The female ones have higher voices.

I stay there watching the sun set, singing to my mockingjays, and thinking about the reaping.

What will it be like tomorrow? I am so scared. Of course, there are tens of thousands of people in District Eleven, but there is still a distinct chance.

If I get chosen, I vow to try to stay alive, although I am only twelve. If I do get crowned victor which would be highly unlikely, then my siblings will not have to go through what I might go through. I will try to come back to this world full of mockingjays.


	2. Author's Note PLZ READ

Kay people sorry I'm so busy these days!

I'll post the next chapter when I can! Don't you worry, it'll be up there soon!

Thank you for reviewing!

Love,

Moonlight Mockingjay


	3. Chapter 1

**Okay….Chapter 1**

The mayor reminds me of a rat. Bald, fat and ugly. Shiny red bowtie. Ridiculous. He's sitting next to a woman who will be the chaperone named Lolly Madisen. On the other side sits a strong woman around sixty years old named Seeder and a man with only one hand named Chaff. In all 74 years, District 11 has had only five victors, four which are still alive. Chaff and Seeder will be our mentors if we get chosen.

He stands up and speaks into the microphone. He reminds us of the Dark Days, how they will never be repeated, the story of Panem… I am not concentrating on what he says.

I am the first one in the twelve year old section. That means I have the most tesserae.

Great. Just excellent.

My heart is pounding like thunder and cold sweat dews up on my neck. I hope it's not making wet spots on my flimsy light blue dress. I feel vulnerable.

Okay…let's say I _did_ get chosen. I do have a few advantages, like being small- I probably only weigh around 60 pounds -, I can climb trees, I can feed myself…

But then again, being small is also a serious disadvantage. I think of the previous years, how huge the Careers were. Gigantic. Monsters.

I hate the Capitol so much. For making us fight, making us murder… For stealing our true selves. Who we are.

I'm still sweating.

And then Lolly- with lime green hair so bright it hurts your eyes to look at- steps on the stage and takes the microphone. Oh no.

"Happy Hunger Games to you all! And may the odds be ever in your favour!" Ew. I hate her accent. "Ladies first! Let's see, who will be the lucky one this year?"

Lucky? _Lucky._ You have got to be kidding me.

And then her painted nails reach into the large glass bowl.

I squeeze my eyes shut and pray. _Not me, not me, not me. Not me. Please._

"Rue Greenwood." She's beaming at all of us.

Rue Greenwood, Rue Greenwood. Strange name that is. Hmm…

That's my name.

My heart is thudding like crazy and I'm sweating. I wobble my way up to the stage. Oh. Oh. _Oh_. I don't feel so good. I want to cry. But I can't let it show. I have to be strong.

"So, you're from the twelve year old section, eh?" Lolly asks me.

"Um… Yeah I guess." I am still in a daze.

"Oh, well that's too bad. Don't worry, you're going to have a lot of fun! I guarantee you!" She pipes up.

Sure I am.

"Oh…well do we have any volunteers?" And I can hear the wind blowing around the square. Whistling its way free. Free. Free like a bird.

Silence. Deafening silence.

"Now… for our boy tribute! Let's see…" Lolly exclaims.

"Thresh Marveedo."

Thresh Marveedo! I know him! He works in the corn fields, leaving him strong and monstrous. His parents got killed by the Peacekeepers because of trying to hide corn in their working bags.

Today definitely…is bad.

"Any volunteers?" The wind has stopped, and no one volunteers.

"Let's give our tributes a round of applause!" And I see the crowd, I see Kyleah. Kyleah with tears running down her cheeks. And I know I must try at least.

The mayor begins the dull Treaty of Treason. Then he motions for us to shake hands. Thresh's are hard and large. Then the anthem blares out. I am half unconscious. Or at least it feels like it.

And we're whisked away to the Justice Building. I have never been there before. They take us into a room with leather couches and cushiony chairs. It smells like lemons. Just like the ones we collect in the orchards.

We each get an hour to say goodbye to our families. The doors now bust open and my whole family comes in.

Mom is here. "Be strong, Rue. Little Rue. For us please. And we'll fight through it with you. We love you."

I look into her dark brown eyes and I know that what she says is true. I have to try. Oh, and now tears are running down my cheeks and I choke out a thank you to her. We have such limited time for goodbyes so they all limit it to a few sentences each.

Dad says "You can do it, you know. You can climb trees, you got excellent aim and you can feed yourself. Don't… don't ever give up. You know that."

And Kyleah next. I touch her silky dark brown hair. "Rue, Rue. Please try. You have to win! I believe in you." Of course. And I'm thanking her and telling her how to scavenge in the meadows, telling her what plants are edible.

When I'm done lecturing her, little Shauna comes. Just seven years old, identical to me. "Rue… I love you. I like your bedtime stories." And she starts sobbing. Sweet little Shauna who doesn't even know what will happen to me.

"Shauna, Kyleah can tell you bedtime stories. Don't worry about me; I'll be fine." And I am sniffling too.

And little three year old Loralie. She just puts her skinny arms around me and hugs me for a while. "You can win, you know dat." She says to me.

"I'll try.' I promise, my throat thick with tears.

Last in my family is little Davin. Two months old, can't do anything yet.

I take him in my arms and rub my cheek against his head. Poor little Davin who will never meet his oldest sister. Poor helpless… tiny davin. I tears slide onto his face.

And then they hug me at the same time. We stay like that for the longest time, tears running down our cheeks, not saying anything and just sitting there for our last moments together. The white uniformed Peacekeepers come in and take them away.

I'm sitting there, crying and yelling "I love you! I love you all! I will try! No matter what you see, please fight through it! For me! For me… "

And they've left. " For me" I whisper to no one in particular.

My next visitor is Aunt Mayla. She takes both my hands in hers and whispers "You know, I had a friend who went to the Games. She lost but she came in the top four. And before she left, I told her that she was strong enough. That she could do it. And that's what I'm telling you now. You're strong enough! Believe me, little Rue. You can. You can make a difference. You can do it." I look into her wise brown eyes. " I believe you" She says. And then the peacekeepers take her away.

Same things. Everyone says the same things. It makes me more sad that I can't fulfill their wishes. I know I can't win. I know that.

Friends from school visit me. They each hug me and kiss me on the cheek. And they tell me that I can do it. Again and again, over and over. And I know I can't do it.

My last visitor is unexpected. William Sterlingston from my school. Why would he come here? We don't talk. I was pretty sure he didn't know my name.

"Rue" he pants out. Apparently he has been running for a long time.

"You're William. William Sterlingston." I say.

"Just call me Will. And you know, they let you wear something from your district. As a token."

And? What does that have to do with anything?

"My uncle is Chaff. He won his games 17 years ago. He lost his hand. And this year, he's mentoring Thresh. And Seeder is mentoring you." He says.

I frown. "Why do you go off topic so much? Anyways, go on…"

He smiles at me. " So, when he went to the games, he wore this as his good luck charm." He holds up a necklace made out of some grass with a carved wooden star thing.

" Can you wear it? Please? For good luck. I trust you. You're a survivor, Rue." Blue eyes that look so fierce, and I oblige.

"Okay. Thank you." And I'm crying again. He comes over and puts it around my neck. Then he gives me an awkward hug.

"It's a firestar. They grew a long time ago, but after North America burned down, but came extinct after. It brings luck."

"Thanks. I really appreciate it." I say.

"You know, when you get there, I know you'll do pretty well. I've seen you climb trees." He says. "And then I'm pretty sure that you'll-"

It's too late. The Peacekeepers come and take him away. And I'll never know what he was going to say.

He's gone now. Everyone's gone. I am all alone.


End file.
